1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of bookbinding and, in particular, to a method of fabricating binding a hardcover book using a binder strip and a separate hardcover assembly and to the hardcover assembly itself.
2. Description of Related Art
Binding systems for binding stacks of sheets into a book using desktop equipment have increased in popularity. One popular system uses a binder strip having and adhesive surface, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,617. The binder strip is typically applied to a stack of sheets to be bound using a desktop binding machine such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,873. The binding machine carries out the binding operation by suitably positioning the binder strip relative to the stack to be bound and applying heat and pressure so that the edges of the stack are bound. The bound stack does not, however, have the same general appearance as books using commercial binding processes, particularly that of hardcover books.
Various approaches have been used to produce bound books using desktop equipment that closely resembles hardcover books. One example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,763 that uses specialized covers having an adhesive layer for binding the stack as opposed to using a conventional binder strip. A company located in Finland and believed to be called Instant Cover Europe Ltd has developed another approach. The stack to be bound is first bound together using the above-described binder strips and binding machine. A hardcover is then applied using high tack adhesives. A positioning apparatus is used to assist in the application of the hardcover to the bound stack to ensure that the cover is accurately positioned over the stack. Unfortunately, the positioning apparatus is relatively complex and includes, for example, a mirror to assist in the assembly. A user having little training is likely to have some difficulty in carrying out the binding process.
There is a need for a binding process using desktop equipment that can be carried out by users having relatively little training and yet produces a hardcover book that compares favorably in appearance with commercially bound books.